Military and civilian leaders in Sudan say they have reached an agreement on the future of the country’s government. Under the agreements made, the civil Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, who was deposed at the end of October, must be returned to his old position. Officials of the Sudanese armed forces and political parties, including the Umma party, the country’s largest, told international news agencies on Sunday.
Hamdok plans to lead an independent technocratic cabinet. Government officials and politicians imprisoned since the coup would also be released. The agreement would be officially announced later on Sunday, although it is not yet known when it will take effect. The consulting parties say the United Nations, the United States and other international parties played a “critical role” in the drafting of the agreement.
Uncomfortable Collaboration
On October 25, military forces ended the two-year transitional government that was put in place after the fall of Sudanese dictator Omar al-Bashir. That government, led by Hamdok, consisted of an uneasy alliance: on the one hand, soldiers and militia leaders who had helped suppress the country for thirty years, on the other, leaders of civilian movements representing the Sudanese people.
In November, civilian leaders would take control of the country and the transitional government would end – much to the dismay of the armed forces, who would then lose access to the state treasury, state-owned enterprises and lucrative contracts. The military also feared adverse reforms and policies, such as prosecuting war crimes under al-Bashir and the possible extradition of the dictator to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
Since the coup, thousands of Sudanese have taken to the streets several times to protest against the military takeover. Dozens of people have been killed so far, according to the Sudan Central Doctors Committee, a group of doctors. Soldiers are said to have fired live ammunition at demonstrators, among other things.
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